QCOSTARICA – The former President of Costa Rica, Carlos Alvarado (2018-2022), unveiled this Saturday at the headquarters of the Partido Acción Ciudadana (PAC) his portrait where he took the opportunity to talk about various issues such as freedom of the press.
Through his social networks, the former president said “we respect freedom of expression and the media, accepting that they strongly criticize us as it should be in a democracy.”
For political analyst Sergio Araya, this message is a way of questioning the role of President Rodrigo Chaves with the press, in particular with the country’s leading newspaper, La Nacion, in recent days, during the first months of his administration.
Former President Alvarado also pointed out that, in his administration, dictatorships such as those of the government of Daniel Ortega were denounced, a statement related to the position of President Rodrigo Chaves on supporting the candidate proposed by the Daniel Ortega regime for the Secretary of Central American Integration (SICA).
Prior to winning the run-off election, Chaves stated publicly he was considering naming an ambassador to Nicaragua, a position that has been empty following the violence of 2018 in the neighboring country. Read more:President-elect reconsiders sending an ambassador to Nicaragua
In the activity, Carlo Alvarado took the opportunity to highlight his government’s approach in the fight against the Covid-19 pandemic and the defense of the human rights of the population.
“Today, we must continue to aspire to lead by example, respecting our history of dialogue and peace, with scrupulous adherence to democratic norms and principles, because that is what makes Costa Rica different,” assured Alvarado.
Hoy, debemos seguir aspirando a liderar con el ejemplo, respetando nuestra historia de diálogo y paz, con escrupuloso apego a las normas y principios democráticos, porque eso es lo que hace a Costa Rica diferente. pic.twitter.com/lsXf9kvyrO
— Carlos Alvarado Quesada (@CarlosAlvQ) July 10, 2022
Alvarado’s statements were published Saturday night on his official profile on Twitter and Instagram.
Alvarado’s call came after various Costa Rican politicians, as well as national and international media outlets, expressed concern about the future of freedom of expression in Costa Rica, following President Chaves’ attack on La Nación.
This Friday, after an apparent anonymous complaint, Parque Viva, owned by Grupo Nación, was closed by order of the Ministry of Health, which was achieved thanks to “urgent” criteria requested by the minister of that portfolio, Joselyn Chacón, to different public institutions.
The closure of Parque Viva occurred just two days after Chaves released distorted data on the financial status of Grupo Nación.
